Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-15
A FRENCH VINEYARD.
MODERN AND PRIMITIVE METHODS
or MAKING WINE.

MODERN AND PRIMITIVE METHODS
or MAKING WINE.
A Day with the winemaker. Of Argsn-
teuil-Picturesque Scenes That Artists
Delight to Dwell Upon-The Crocons
and Their Merrymakingn.
The commerce Of wine being SO large an
item in the financial prosperity Of France, is
a question worthy of study, and for that pur-
pose started for the little village Of Argen-
teuA, the spot nearest Paris where the vint-
age may be seen in all its charms. There
are, indeed, many charming qualities to the
gathering and transportation, the sorting
and pressing Of the grapes, the manipulation
of the wine and the festivities connected with
a successful vintage.
See this line of peasants widening down
among the low growing vines They come
from a long distance back in the country,
and will stand at the corner of the high road
as We read of their standing 800 years ago.
waiting ''for some man to hire them" Old
men and women, young men and children, in
charming faded blouses and handkerchiefs;
in great woolen sabots, or with no shoes at
all Glad enough they are to earn the forty,
or thirty, or even twenty cents day which
Is paid for their labor.
Before daylight they began to assemble,
and at q a. IN. the patron appears He en-
cages them in order, tosses them a pruning
knife and hottie thigh wooden basket, carriei
on the back, telling them, none too kindly, to
go! serve!' and they are of to the days
labor
1t is indeed subject worthy of the en-
thusiasm given it by the French artists. In
the salon one may see half dozen vintage
pictures in the same room, and do not won
der at it now, having seen the ever changing
compositions at Argenteuil. The rough
white walls, the tender green Of the vines,
with the dark tones Of the grapes, the
faded garments Of the laborers-those fine
peasant types-with the sunlight over all,
and the musical ''chantonner" Of the work
ers keeping time with the cutting Of the
vines, lend charm indescribably fascinating.
Later they begin the passage from the fields
into the town. There is no restriction as to
to the means of transportation, although the
large vineyard owners provide their owD
carts, drawn by the great Normandy horses.
festooned with trailing vines artistically ar
ranged about the harness, for in France the
meanest peasant has an eye for the beautiful.
Besides these carts one sees the grape laden
''hottesr arranged in wheelbarrows and
handcarts or donkey laden with sacks up
to his ears and ''go as please" line of
men: women and children bearing the fruit
in every conceivable manner-in ''hottes,'
in baskets, in bags, in pals and wooden
bcwls, in boxes and buckets Of tin, on their
h,ads, their backs. their shoulders, between
item in twos and threes and dragged along
Ia boxes on the ground. As they enter town
hey disperse in the direction Of the different
cellars and presses.
There are any number Of processes Of wine
making, and as many methods of pressing
the fruit as there are owners of vineyards.
but almost every peasant has his little vine
iard. and much of the wine is made in their
Jwn cellars. Here they return to first prin-
'.iplcs, the men treading the wine press and
stained from head to foot with the red liquid
There they use the latest inventions for wine
making. The great watts, holding 100 quarts,
whirl rapidly by steam beneath the counter
movement of ponderous disk of stone, the
noise Of the gushing grape juice is like that
OF a snail torrent, spouting from tube on
the right, and the dry masses of pulp elected
into n trough for the purpose on the LETT,
everything moving in regular or,ler-noisy,
ugly, labor saving Thus modern invention
takes tine poetry out of old time customs, and
l turn away disguised to seek a less rlodern
atmosphere, n more congenial example Of the
good old fashioned wine press
One may trace to its source the purple rci
stream that trickiei down between the great
stones Of the village street. II will lead per-
haps to moro Interesting fields, and in this
quaint old village one may wander ut VIII
unmolested into every nook and corner.
There is strong odor of crushed grapes as
following the colored stream, l turn into a
vine covered court. At one end stands a
thatched shed full of the largest casks ever
saw. Here, sitting on an overturned hottie.
measure Of new wine beside him, sits the
proprietor Of the establishment, smoking a
long china pipe.
Has monsieur ever heard the chanson Of
the croconsT asks the proprietor, offerings
mug of wine. rs monsieur acquainted with
the vintagei Will he attend the merry rak.
ing this EVENING" / accept with alacriry.
IF monsieur has interest in the wine press he
must descend a few steps and witness that Of
.l'e -nei, t1,'oilf ioilo" .iie 1iree'ion
ui'il.a'eS 'il aii" como upon nea' ooA ooruereu
"ur,' "ii'e co,'ase' every "ihdo" OF
~hien Is iiieu Win aelicious ho"erS Al me
pack y aii evenly planted vineyard, ~here
c'i'ch simise OIL tne "mte cap ana spo'iess
apron OF niadafie, VINO Is skiiiiuiy chppins
punches OF grapes lh.o a iarSe basket Near
ner s'ahdS tne patient h''ie donkey VINO Will
oear inc irui' I" hsr orisihal wine press
around .ne corner: inis Is truly unique
proess ot WINE ihaNins, ana stand watch
iiS 'ne rcn purple Juce ooze through the
sieve into the pail below in rapt wonder.
This and many presses | sfudiefl that tlav